Washboard.



G. LASKY & S. M. KRBISMAN.

WASHBOARD. I APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1912.

Patented July 1, 1913.

l filllllllllllllienun COLUMBIA PLANUGRAPH 56-, WASHINGTON, D. C,

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

CHARLES LASKY AND SOLOMON M. KREISMAN, OF ST. .LOUIS, MISSOURI.

WASI-IBOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1 1913.

Application filed June 15, 1912. Serial No. 703,884.

To all whom, it may concern: I

Be it known that we, CHARLES LASKY and SOLOMON M. KREISMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at the city of St.

Louis, State of Missouri, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVashbcards, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to' the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a front or face view of a wash board embodying, and constructed in accordance with, our invention; Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the same; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 8-3, Fig. 2.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in washboards, the objects of our invention being to provide an article or structure of the kind stated which is inexpensive and comparatively simple in construction, and in which the scrubbing or washing surface is adapted to yieldingly or resiliently resist the pressure necessarily exerted by an operator or user in moving the articles being Washed thereover and thereby enable clothes-washing operations to be easily and efli-ciently accomplished; to provide an article or structure of the kind stated with a preferably yielding scrubbing or washing surface having a series of perforations and with means adapted to support a cake of soap, and preferably irrespective of the thickness of such cake, in operative relation to said perforations and thereby effecta saving of soap and reduce the period of time used in clotheswashing operations, the soap being gradually fed through said perforations during the time the board is in service without waste and without being handled by the operator or user.

lVith these objects in view, our invention resides in certain novel features of construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, all as hereinafter more fully described and afterward pointed out in the claims.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, 1-1 designate relatively thick flat elongated members which form the side rails of the frame of our new washboard and, at their lower portions or ends, the legs thereof. Uniting said rails or members 11 at their upper ends and extending across the top thereof, is the usual top cross rail 2. Secured to side members on rails 1-1 and extending therebetween adjacent cross rail 2 is a preferably fiat relatively thin retaining strip 5, shown particularly in F 1g. 3. Suitably secured to the under side of strip 5 and extending between side rails l1, as shown particularly in Fig. 2, is a substantially L-shaped rail or member 4 having its short lee; presented downwardly and its long leg presented forwardly and abutting against the under face of strip 5, as shown particularly in Fig. 3, the thickness of side rails 1-1 being substantially the same as, or equal to, the length of the long leg of member or rail 4. Suitably se cured to side rails or members 11 and extending therebetween adjacent the lower ends thereof, as shown particularly in Fig. 1, is amember 3 comprising a strip 5 and an L-shaped member or rail l 'similar, respectively, to strip 5 and L-shaped member or rail 4 and correspondingly mounted between side members or rails 1l with the short leg of rail 4 presented upwardly. Bet-ween upper strip 5 and its attached L- shaped rail 4 and lower strip 5 and its attached L-shaped rail lg side rails or members 1-1 are longitudinally recessed or cutaway from their inner surface outwardly to provide recesses to correspond with and match the cross recesses provided between lower strip 5 and the short leg of its attached L-shaped rail 4 and upper strip 5 and the short leg of its attached rail Land to form with said cross-recesses a continuous rectangular recess 6 within the frame made up by side rails 1-1, upper strip 5 and its attached rail 4, and lower strip 5 and its attached rail 4?, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

7 indicates a preferably rectangular corrugated plate that forms the rubbing or washing surface of our new wash-board. The edges of this plate 7 are positioned within rectangular recess 6, and suitably fixed or secured to these edges of plate 7 and on the rear side thereof is a rectangular pref erably metallic frame 8. Arranged on the rear side of plate 7 and with their ends lying within said space or recess 6, is a series of longitudinally-extending rails 9 framed together by short transversely-extending rails 10, said rails 9 and 10 being adapted to form a reinforcing frame or backing for sald corrugated plate 7. The ends of said rails 9 are preferably suitably secured, as shown, to said frame 8; and interposed between rectangular frame 8 and the lower wall or ledge of rectangular recess 6 is a plurality of suitable preferably spiral compression springs 11, which are adapted to normally hold plate 7 and the parts attached thereto forwardly against the under face of the upper wall or ledge of said rectangular recess G.

Formed on plate 7 and preferably in the upper portion thereof, having reference to Fig. l, is a substantially flat area 12 provided therethrough with a plurality of perforations 13. And extending transversely upon the rear side of our new wash-board and directly in the rear of said fiat perfo rated area 12, is a fiat plate or rail 14, the ends of which are suitably fixed or secured to the rear side of said rails 11, and preferably fixed t0 the central portion of plate 14-. is a suitable yielding soapsupport comprising a suitable preferably spiral compression spring 15 and a flat plate 16 preferably fixedly secured thereto, adapted to operatively hold a cake of soap- 17 relatively to, and against the under side of, said flat perforated area 12 of plate 7.

Plate 7 with its backing and reinforcing frames 8 and 9, being yieldingly supported by springs 11, as described, will yield downwardly and thereby compress springs 11 as the articles being washed are rubbed over the surface of plate 7. By this construction, the pressure exerted by the operator in rubbing the articles being washed on plate 7 is yieldingly resisted by plate 7 and its supporting springs 11. Soap 17, being yieldingly supported in operative re lation to plate 7 by spring-pressed plate 16, will also yield downwardly with plate 7 on pressure being applied thereto, as when articles of clothing and the like are being washed thereon. By having soap 17 so arranged as to yield downwardly with rubbing plate 7, it will be noted that neither is the resiliency of plate 7 interfered with or impeded, nor is plate 7 caused to bulge outwardly and become thereby impaired, for it will be clear that, plate 7 being yieldable downwardly, if soap-supporting plate 16 was unyieldable clownwardly, plate 7 would either be prevented from yielding downwardly, as described, and its proper operation be thereby impeded, or caused to bulge outwardly and its rubbing area or face be thereby impaired. Furthermore, soap 17 being supported as described, only a certain amount of soap will be removed or scraped off by the articles being washed when the same are rubbed over the perforated area of plate 7. In this manner, the yielding soap holder 16 cooperates and co-acts with yielding rubbing plate 7 to provide as an entirety a washing board upon which, we have found, clotl'ies-washing operations may be performed with great ease and at a comparatively small outlay of physical effort and expense. It might be here stated that spring 15 is preferably larger and of greater strength or stiffer than said springs 11, in order that the cake of soap may at all times, and irrespective of the particular thickness thereof, be firmly held in operative position against the under side of said perforated area 1.2 of plate 7'.

We are aware that minor changes in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of our new wash board may be made and substituted. for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a wash board, an-interiorly recessed frame, a rubbing plate yieldingly supported and movable within therecess of said frame and provided with a series of perforations, and a spring-pressed Soap supporting plate mounted on said board and adapted to yieldingly support a cake of soap against the under side of said plate and to the rear of the perforated portion thereof; substantially as described.

2. In awash board, an interiorly recessed frame, a rubbing plate loosely fitting within the recess of said frame and provided with a series of perforations, a plurality of coiled springs arranged in the recess of said frame and under the side edges of said plate, said springs being adapted to yieldingly support said plate in the recess of said frame, a cross rail fixed on said frame to the rear of the perforated portion of said rubbing plate, and a springprcssed plate mounted on said cross-rail and adapted to yieldingly support a cake of soap against the under side of said rubbing plate and to the rear of the perforated portion thereof; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

onanmas LASKY. SOLOMON M. KREISMAN.

lVitnesses RUTH PETERSON, ZELMA PINoUs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

